This might be the key matchup in every game this year…if we can keep Cutler upright then we have weapons all over the field to take advantage of it but protecting the QB doesn’t come much tougher than against the Bengals who finished 3rd in the NFL last year in sacks…led by Geno Atkins they have plenty of threats with Michael Johnson & Carlos Dunlop manning the DE positions and the underrated Domata Peko playing the NT position…the starting front 4 accounted for 32 sacks last year…another potential problem is DE Wallace Gilbert coming off the bench as a pass rusher having finished with 6.5 sacks last year…it’s an impressive group that has a legitimate claim as the best in the NFL…we have to get the balance right between keeping guys like Martellus Bennett & Matt Forte in to block these guys and letting them go out on routes so we can get the ball out of Cutler’s hands quickly…if we can…an I trust that Trestman will…we have great matchups in Bennett & Forte against 3 LBs in James Harrison, Vontaze Burfict & Rey Maualuga who are very average in coverage…but we have to get the protection right above all else and hopefully with the infusion of talent we have seen this offseason we will be able to get it done well enough to give Jay the time he needs…

On a side note watching Kyle Long going up against Geno Atkins is going to be real fun.

Alshon Jeffery vs. Terrence Newman…

As I said before if we can get the protection right up front we can take advantage of the weapons we have…Martellus Bennett & Matt Forte can work as security blankets for Cutler when he has to get the ball out quickly & Brandon Marshall can do it all but as we know he isn’t 100% right now and he is going up against Leon Hall who is one of the better and more underrated CBs in the NFL so why force the ball on him when we can take advantage of a clear weak line…IMO Terrence Newman in his prime was one of the more overrated players in football…now at 34 years old he has also lost a step…in Alshon Jeffery we have a player who has rededicated himself to being great in the offseason…he showed us flashes as a rookie but since working with Marshall this offseason he has come back not only physically stronger but also seemingly mentally tougher and ready to take on a bigger role…I feel Jeffery could have a field day against Newman if we can get the ball to him…his strength and ability to go up and get the ball is a distinct advantage and we have to use it…I also think if we can get the protection right and get Jeffery running deep against their safeties Reggie Nelson & George Iloka there is potential for big gains.

Charles Tillman vs. A.J Green…

With all due respect the Bengals offence doesn’t really scare me against our D…Andy Dalton is a solid QB but doesn’t have the potential to be an elite one IMO…I think Lawfirm is solid and Gio Bernard gives then a little more speed but still doesn’t have the skill set to really be explosive against us…now Gresham & Eifert worry me a little more…both are big targets and Eifert especially could be used in the slot to create more mismatches against our formations…Mo Sanu isn’t going to run away from a guy like Tim Jennings and I fully expect Jennings to lock him down…so in truth the only guy that I do fear is A.J Green who is an outstanding WR…he has it all as a wideout and can take over a game on his own…lucky for us we have one of the best CBs in the NFL who excels when playing against the best…he is maybe the only guy who shuts down Calvin Johnson consistently and he has to do the same with Green…if you take away Green from the Bengals you beat the Bengals…unfortunately it’s easier said than done but if anyone can do it…it will be Peanut.

Do we really know that Tillman is going to mostly be shadowing A.J. Green? I guess that makes sense because he's tall and the #1, but maybe Tucker mixes things up.

As great an athlete is Tim Jennings is he can't make up for the 8" height difference between himself and Green because Green is just as good if not better an athlete...Tillman is too good against these elite WRs not to let him match up with Green as much as possible.

Do we really know that Tillman is going to mostly be shadowing A.J. Green? I guess that makes sense because he's tall and the #1, but maybe Tucker mixes things up.

As great an athlete is Tim Jennings is he can't make up for the 8" height difference between himself and Green because Green is just as good if not better an athlete...Tillman is too good against these elite WRs not to let him match up with Green as much as possible.

I didn't realize the height difference was quite that big. Yeah, it makes sense for Tillman to shadow him all game and be as physical as possible.

As a side note, apparently Bengals CBs Brandon Ghee and Terence Newman did not practice today, and LT Whitworth might not play. I guess Pacman is the nickel, so it's possible that Alshon will end up matched up against Dre Kirkpatrick, who is 3rd string and apparently had a terrible game against the Cowboys in the 3rd preseason game (although I didn't watch it).

Should be a good game. Cant wait to see how Cutler does, how we utilize Forte, and all the other weapons we have. Interesting to see how our 3 rookie starters will do. I think we pull off a win to start the year 24-20._________________Adopt a Bear:
DT Ego Ferguson
OT Jordan Mills

Should be a good game. Cant wait to see how Cutler does, how we utilize Forte, and all the other weapons we have. Interesting to see how our 3 rookie starters will do. I think we pull off a win to start the year 24-20.

If things work out as I hope then AJ Green will have 160 yards and 2 TDs and the Bears will win 31-14._________________

This might be the key matchup in every game this year…if we can keep Cutler upright then we have weapons all over the field to take advantage of it but protecting the QB doesn’t come much tougher than against the Bengals who finished 3rd in the NFL last year in sacks…led by Geno Atkins they have plenty of threats with Michael Johnson & Carlos Dunlop manning the DE positions and the underrated Domata Peko playing the NT position…the starting front 4 accounted for 32 sacks last year…another potential problem is DE Wallace Gilbert coming off the bench as a pass rusher having finished with 6.5 sacks last year…it’s an impressive group that has a legitimate claim as the best in the NFL…we have to get the balance right between keeping guys like Martellus Bennett & Matt Forte in to block these guys and letting them go out on routes so we can get the ball out of Cutler’s hands quickly…if we can…an I trust that Trestman will…we have great matchups in Bennett & Forte against 3 LBs in James Harrison, Vontaze Burfict & Rey Maualuga who are very average in coverage…but we have to get the protection right above all else and hopefully with the infusion of talent we have seen this offseason we will be able to get it done well enough to give Jay the time he needs…

On a side note watching Kyle Long going up against Geno Atkins is going to be real fun.

Alshon Jeffery vs. Terrence Newman…

As I said before if we can get the protection right up front we can take advantage of the weapons we have…Martellus Bennett & Matt Forte can work as security blankets for Cutler when he has to get the ball out quickly & Brandon Marshall can do it all but as we know he isn’t 100% right now and he is going up against Leon Hall who is one of the better and more underrated CBs in the NFL so why force the ball on him when we can take advantage of a clear weak line…IMO Terrence Newman in his prime was one of the more overrated players in football…now at 34 years old he has also lost a step…in Alshon Jeffery we have a player who has rededicated himself to being great in the offseason…he showed us flashes as a rookie but since working with Marshall this offseason he has come back not only physically stronger but also seemingly mentally tougher and ready to take on a bigger role…I feel Jeffery could have a field day against Newman if we can get the ball to him…his strength and ability to go up and get the ball is a distinct advantage and we have to use it…I also think if we can get the protection right and get Jeffery running deep against their safeties Reggie Nelson & George Iloka there is potential for big gains.

Charles Tillman vs. A.J Green…

With all due respect the Bengals offence doesn’t really scare me against our D…Andy Dalton is a solid QB but doesn’t have the potential to be an elite one IMO…I think Lawfirm is solid and Gio Bernard gives then a little more speed but still doesn’t have the skill set to really be explosive against us…now Gresham & Eifert worry me a little more…both are big targets and Eifert especially could be used in the slot to create more mismatches against our formations…Mo Sanu isn’t going to run away from a guy like Tim Jennings and I fully expect Jennings to lock him down…so in truth the only guy that I do fear is A.J Green who is an outstanding WR…he has it all as a wideout and can take over a game on his own…lucky for us we have one of the best CBs in the NFL who excels when playing against the best…he is maybe the only guy who shuts down Calvin Johnson consistently and he has to do the same with Green…if you take away Green from the Bengals you beat the Bengals…unfortunately it’s easier said than done but if anyone can do it…it will be Peanut.

We are going to have to run at this line to keep the pass rush honest. Bush and Forte are going to pound them.

So in my season prediction, I predicted this as a loss b/c good HCs almost always lose their first game. I think Trestman is going to be a good HC..._________________2013 Bears Forum Mike Ditka Award Winner
2014 Adopt-A-Bear Alshon Jeffery